New Delhi:
The family of 20-year-old Ankit Hooda is thanking God for his miraculous escape after a bike accident left him with more than a hundred fractures to his face and head.
Ankit had just cleared his senior secondary exams from Joseph and Mary Public School and was looking forward to getting admission in Delhi University when he met with the accident on May 29.
"I was on a bike and had gone to drop a friend of mine. On my way back a tempo hit me from behind and I lost control of my bike and fell. I was not wearing a helmet. When I gained consciousness I was in hospital with severe facial and head injuries. I am fortunate to be alive but I have lost vision in my right eye in the accident," said Ankit who is recovering from his injuries.
Soon after the accident, Ankit was rushed to BL Kapur Memorial Hospital where he was saved after a 10-hour-long surgery. A multi-disciplinary team of Dr KK Choudhary (Neurosurgeon), Dr Maj Gen AS Bath and Dr DJS Tulla (both plastic surgeons) at the hospital carried out the operation.
"The boy when brought to the hospital had no recordable pulse or blood pressure, with his face and head totally mangled beyond recognition. The skull bones were found to be broken into about 100 pieces and the brain was literally flowing out. The whole face had been converted into a pulp and the patient was bleeding profusely. After getting the case we started the surgery at around midnight and we finished at 10 am. He lost his right eye as it was badly shattered and was beyond repair," said Dr KK Choudhary.
The 10-hour-long surgery was a test of patience not only for Ankit's family but also for the team of four doctors who gave their best to save his life as the survival rate in such trauma cases is negligible.
In the overnight surgery, the patient underwent brain surgery, reconstruction of covering brain membranes, skull bones and facial bones, which were smashed during the mishap.
"His face was flat and was beyond recognition. All fragments of facial bones were put back in anatomical place and fixed with the latest available techniques and multiple facial wounds were repaired. We fixed all the bones with titanium plates and screws. There were so many pieces of bones that putting it together became a puzzle for us. But fortunately it all came out well. Now the patient is fine and has recovered well," Dr Choudhary added.
Ankit's parents who had lost all hope when they saw his condition after the accident are happy to see his quick recovery. "We are so fortunate that there is no memory loss and Ankit has survived the accident. We thought we had lost our son but it was a miraculous escape for him. We want him to recover soon and complete his education," said Naresh Kumar, Ankit's father.
(Note: So severe were Ankit's injuries that we have not taken pictures of him in his current state)